Golf ball putter



s- 1, 6 F. G. WHITE 3,333,854

GOLF BALL PUTTER Filed April 28, 1964 INVENTOR FREDERICK G. WHITE BY w flzzm ewm 27 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,333,854 GOLF BALL PUTTER Frederick G. White, Orleans, France (10215 Forest Ave, Fairfax, Va. 22030) Filed Apr. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 363,134 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-164) This invention relates to sports of various kinds including those enjoyed out of doors, on foot and otherwise, and to apparatus and equipment utilized by those who participate in and enjoy such sports.

The invention relates particularly to the game of golf, to the clubs or sticks employed in the playing of the game, and especially to putters or clubs used on the greens in stroking golf balls toward and into the holes or cups.

In playing golf direction and projection are important factors influenced to a substantial degree by the topography and nature and texture of the terrain and consequently considerable attention is given to the imparting of a particular rotation to the ball in its travel. This applies not only to play from the tees and on the fairways, but also on the greens. In undertaking to-impait a particular rotation or spin to a golf ball, for example, overspin to cause the ball to adhere to an intended line and not be diverted when struck by a putter, error is an important factor, since there is a variance from the natural putting stroke, the putter sometimes being raised too high and the ball not being struck on center is scuffed and projected in other than the desired manner.

It is an object of the invention to provide a club for use in imparting motion to a golf ball on a green, or in other words a putter, of a construction by which desired spin can be imparted using a natural putting stroke with reduced possibility of error and increased accuracy, as well as a putter of multiple parts which can be adjusted so that it may be used as a conventional putter and also be modified for use in obtaining overspin on the putting green, and which also is of a character for effective use out of shallow sand traps due to the fact that the bottom cut-away face of the club gathers sand and permits the upper face to strike the ball cleanly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a putter which can be used to impart overspin and for accurate retention of desired direction without being materially influenced by the terrain in which the structure has a particular relation to the average height of grass adjacent the green, as well as a putter having a sighting device to aid in aligning putts, which sighting device has its center at the center of gravity of the putter head and with sighting lines in a particular relation to a golf ball.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, an exploded perspective; 4

FIG. 3, a perspective of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 4, a' front elevation illustrating the relation of the club head to a golf ball at the time of impact; and, FIG. 5, a perspective of a modified form of putter.

Briefly stated the putter of the present invention comprises a handle of the usual construction and a head incorporating the present invention. The head is of elongated generally rectangular cross-sectional construction rounded at opposite ends. The forward lower edge of the head is provided with a cut-out portion defined by horizontal and vertical plane surfaces likewise of generally rectangular construction in cross-section with upper and remote surfaces at right angles to each other and generally flat. A bar is provided of a cross-section to till the cut-out portion so that when the bar is used the putter will function in a conventional manner. Due to the cutout portion, when the ball is stroked it will be given an over spin as a result of being engaged by one of the spaced parallel edges of the club, depending upon the elevation at which the club is held.

With continued reference to the drawing a golf club 10 is provided having a conventional or regulation shaft 11 at the upper end of which is located a gripping portion to be engaged by the user and with a club head or putter head 12 at the other end. The club head has a top surface 13, front or forward surface 14, rear or back surface 15, bottom surface 16, and end surfaces 17 and 18. The club head also is provided with a cutaway portion 19 having a generally horizontal surface 20 and a generally vertical surface 21. The front surface 14 extends downwardly from the top of the head a distance slightly less than one-half the height of the head and meets the horizontal surface 20 along an edge 14' which is adapted to engage the upper portion of a conventional golf ball and imparts an overspin thereto. The generally vertical surface 21 is substantially parallel with the front surface 14 and is spaced rearwardly therefrom a distance such that the surface 21 will not contact the ball when an overspin is imparted thereto by the edge 14'. Such vertical surface 21 joins the bottom surface 16 along an edge 21 which will engage the upper portion of the golf ball and impart an overspin thereto in the event that the edge 14' misses the ball.

In order that the device may be converted into a conventional club the head is provided with spaced threaded openings 22 in the lower vertical surface 21 and a bar 23 generally rectangular in cr0ss-section and of a size to fill the cut-away portion. This bar has top and bottom surfaces 24 and 25, front and back surfaces 26 and 27, and curved ends 28 and 29, the bar being of a size and shape to be received in and fill the cut-away portion of the head 19. It may be provided with openings 30 through which a threaded fastener 31 may be engaged in the openings 22 of the club head to secure the bar in position. The fastener may be in the form of a screw having a screw drivers slot 31 of a width to receive a small coin, so that the user may apply and remove the bar 23 at any time.

The head of the putter may be provided with a sighting device 32 representing half the horizontal section of a golf ball as to shape and size, preferably of a color distinctive from that of the club head, which is black, with white lines or cross-hairs 34 and 35. The sighting device may be inlaid or painted on or separate from the club head, but it is located so that the shorter direction line or cross-hair 35 is directly above the center of gravity of the putter head.

In the use of the putter without the bar 23 when the ball is stroked it will be engaged by the edge 14 formed by the vertical front surface 14 and the horizontal under surface 20 which edge will strike the ball slightly above true center imparting a spin to the golf ball 36, giving greater accuracy in getting the ball into the cup 37. If as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 4 the putter is swung too high the lower edge formed by the front vertical surface 21 and the bottom surface 16 of the putter will impart the same action. If the user is not satisfied with using the putter without the bar 19, such bar may be applied, and secured in place by the screws or fasteners 31.

If desired the putter may be made of slightly different construction although of the same general configuration to permit its being used as a conventional putter or as a top-spin putter and either as a right or left hand club. In this embodiment the head is composed of upper and lower sections 36 and 37 with a tongue 38 and a groove 39 or dovetail connection lengthwise of the head for connecting these parts. The lower part will have the stepped faces on one side and a single face on the other side either of which may be used as preferred, by either left or right hand players, the tongue and groove being of such character that they provide a solid frictional engagement.

It Will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf ball putter for use in imparting an overspin motion to a conventional golf ball, said putter comprising an elongated head of a predetermined height, said head having upper and lower oifset generally vertical front faces, said upper face extending downwardly from the top of said head a distance less than half of said predetermined height and terminating in a first edge for imparting an overspin to said ball when the upper portion thereof is struck thereby, said lower face being spaced rearwardly a predetermined distance from the plane of said upper face and extending downwardly to the bottom of said head, said lower face terminating in a second edge for imparting an overspin to said ball when the upper portion thereof is struck thereby, said predetermined distance being such that said lower facev will not contact said ball when an overspin is imparted thereto by the first edge, whereby when the putter is swung in one arc said first edge may strike the upper portion of the golf ball and impart an overspin thereto and when the putter is swung in another arc said second edge may strike the upper portion of the ball to impart the overspin.

2. The structure of claim 1 including bar means having substantially the same width and length dimensions as said lower face and a thickness corresponding to said predetermined distance, and means for mounting said bar means on said lower face, whereby one face of said bar means will be substantially co-planar with said upper face to provide a conventional putter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,472,312 6/1949 Parrish 273l 2,530,446 11/1950 Beardsley 2.7379

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

F. BARRY SHAY, G. J. MARLO, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A GOLF BALL PUTTER FOR USE IN IMPARTING AN OVERSPIN MOTION TO A CONVENTIONAL GOLF BALL, SAID PUTTER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HEAD OF A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT, SAID HEAD HAVING UPPER AND LOWER OFFSET GENERALLY VERTICAL FRONT FACES, SAID UPPER FACE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP OF SAID HEAD A DISTANCE LESS THAN HALF OF SAID PREDETERMINED HEIGHT AND TERMINATING IN A FIRST EDGE FOR IMPARTING AN OVERSPIN TO SAID BALL WHEN THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF IS STRUCK THEREBY, SAID LOWER FACE BEING SPACED REARWARDLY A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM THE PLANE OF SAID UPPER FACE AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID HEAD, SAID LOWER FACE TERMINATING IN A SECOND EDGE FOR IMPARTING AN OVERSPIN TO SAID BALL WHEN THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF IS STRUCK THEREBY, SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE BEING SUCH THAT SAID LOWER FACE WILL NOT CONTACT SAID BALL WHEN AN OVERSPIN IS IMPARTED THERETO BY THE FIRST EDGE, WHEREBY WHEN THE PUTTER IS SWUNG IN ONE ARC SAID FIRST EDGE MAY STRIKE THE UPPER PORTION OF THE GOLF BALL AND IMPART AN OVERSPIN THERETO AND WHEN THE PUTTER IS SWUNG IN ANOTHER ARC SAID SECOND EDGE MAY STRIKE THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BALL TO IMPART THE OVERSPIN. 